


Bet or Dare

by AlwaysEverlark



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blind Date, Enemies to Lovers, Exes, F/M, Hate Sex, Miscommunication, Pining, Romance, kind of exes - Freeform, or that's what they think
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:21:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28195362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlwaysEverlark/pseuds/AlwaysEverlark
Summary: Prompt:Katniss and Peeta are paired through a blind dating event at a pub, but it turns out they work together and Katniss can't stand him.(Enemies to lovers, angst, romance)
Relationships: Katniss Everdeen/Peeta Mellark
Comments: 10
Kudos: 63
Collections: The Hunger Games 2020 Season of Hope Holiday Gift Exchange





	Bet or Dare

**Author's Note:**

  * For [eiramrelyat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/eiramrelyat/gifts).



> For eiramrelyat, hope you like the story and the banner!  
> I loved all your prompts, but this one is totally what I enjoy writing. I love all the tropes here!
> 
> MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR
> 
> This works as a one-shot, but I'm planning to write chapter 2 from Peeta POV

“Can you please remind me, why are we doing this?” I ask, rolling my eyes to hide my discomfort with this arrangement: location, attire and purpose of the night.

“For starters,” Madge answers, “We want to support the neighborhood and old Abernathy with their _Save Your Neighborhood business initiative,_ and knowing Effie, you can’t be so surprised she came up with this pub blind date thing.”

Oh yes I know, I think. Effie is hopelessly romantic. It’s a mystery how she ended up with grumpy Haymitch Abernath _y._ Madge resumes frowning. “To continue with, we lost a bet thanks to you.”

“I missed one shot for Christ’s Sake! You, missed all of them, Madge” I exclaim, dropping my voice in anger.

“Well, me missing the bullseye was in the plan. You hitting the wall with the dart, on the contrary, is something we’d never witnessed before,” says while gesturing at me.

“You can thank blondie for that,” Johanna states laughing out loud. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I defend myself crossing my arms defensively.

“Sure, you don’t know,” my friend retorts with a mocking smile. 

“Katniss,” Madge chimes in “it was kind of obvious.I mean...”

She stops abruptly under my knowing glare because she promised me she’d never ever bring Peeta Mellark up in any conversation, “I was just surprised to see him there. I haven't seen him in 6 years and, all of the sudden, he’s back in town, working for the same company I am working, and we meet him in our fave pub. That’s too much Peeta Mellark for my liking.” 

But to my dismay Johanna isn’t buying my discourse. 

“Listen, I understand. He’s handsome , he’s sexy and his jaw looks like carved in fucking marble,” Jo states as a matter of fact.

My stomach does a funny thing when I imagine Johanna and Peeta together, but I blame it on the alcohol. Sure as hell the stupid crush I harboured when I was a teenager vanished a long time ago. 

“If you are so into him, you should hit on him,” I reply before bringing the bottle of beer to my lips, happy with my indifferent demeanour and hoping this will shut her up.

“Oh brainless, I’d do it, but he isn’t interested in me.” She pauses for a moment to emphasise her next sentence. “He is, however, very much interested in you.” 

“Yeah well, that’s not going to happen. I hate him...”

“Katniss, you really should try hate-sex… and get him out of your system. I don’t have a clue what happened between you and him,” she fishes for information, “but I can sense there’s some good story. Someone that looks at you with those puppy eyes can’t be that bad, though…” 

And that's what finally does the trick. I burst in anger, because Peeta’s looks are totally the opposite of who he is. 

“Don’t get fooled by him because, Jo… you don’t know him at all,” I spit while Madge stares at me. She knows part of the story, although not all of it. “ I do know him. He might charm anyone with his angelical face and pretty eyes, but that persona isn’t who he truly is, he’s mean and cruel. Peeta Mellark is the last person in the world I would have sex with…”.

I stop abruptly when someone touches my shoulder and I hear, "Hello there, Kitty Kat."

I don’t even need to turn around to know it’s Finnick, and judging by Jo’s smirk, and Madge’s pale face, I’m pretty sure Peeta is with him. I spin to face them, my chin up to reaffirm my statement. Although I’d prefer they wouldn’t have heard it, I’m not the one who should be ashamed. I’m not the one who humiliated the other six years ago. However, when my eyes find Peeta’s blue irises filled with pain, my heart clenches.

“I’m going to grab a beer, I’ll wait for you at the counter when you’re done here, Finn.” Peeta avoids looking at me again as he walks to the front of the bar where Haymitch is pouring beers.

“That,” Finnick says to me, gesturing at Peeta’s back as he walks away, “was not nice of you, Katniss. I always thought you were oblivious, but you’re totally clueless!”

“What do you mean, Finnick? What are you even talking about?” I ask, getting more angry by the minute when he shrugs and brings his hand to his head in a movement that can only express exasperation. 

Johanna laughs out loud at that. “Why do you think I call her brainless?”

“Yeah… I get it now. Well ladies, I’m going to go find my friend before my beer gets warm. If the odds are in my favor today I might get a date with one of you… or Peeta. Wouldn’t that be funny?” He winks at me and walks to where peeta is waiting for him.

I know this night is going to be a nightmare, I’m going to be worried the whole night about the small possibility of getting paired with Peeta, but that’s not going to happen. There are more than 30 men here… what are the odds? Effie interrupts my train of thought with her high scratchy voice.

“Welcome! Welcome, welcome,” she sings happily,“and happy blind date night! We’re very happy to see such a large crowd of young people reunited here to support this community. The rules are very easy, I’ll pull out a slip of paper from the girls’ glass ball and another one from the boys’. The chosen ones will come up to the stage to get your dinner voucher and that’s it. Easy, isn’t it? and now, ladies first.”

The first name to be called to stage is Annie Cresta, a pretty girl with dark hair and emerald eyes. She looks shy so when the boy’s name gets drawn and it’s Finnick Oddair, I pity her. Surprisingly, Finnick behaves and leaves aside his cocky persona.

I get lost in my thoughts as Effie keeps calling out names, until I hear mine and my anxiety rises again. Johanna pushes me to the stage and I reluctantly approach Effie.

“Now, Katniss, why don’t you smile? You are going to scare your date tonight,” she chastises me which only makes my scowl deeper. 

“Manners, young lady,” she hisses before putting on her happy mask to go on with the show. “Ok, let’s see who the fortunate boy is!”

She walks to the ball with the boys’ names and reaches in, digs her hand deep into it and pulls out one single slip of paper with my fate written on it. “Peeta Mellark!”

_Oh, no,_ I think. _Not him, why him?_ My mind registers as the crowd claps and Johanna scoffs. 

The shock of the moment is written on his face; you can see his struggle to remain emotionless after our earlier clash, but his blue eyes show his alarm. Despite that, he climbs steadily onto the stage and takes his place.

He holds his hand out to me with a sad smile. Instead of taking his hand, I storm off the stage and out of the bar. I haven’t walked to the corner yet when I hear him calling my name, “Katniss, wait.”

I speed up, but my heels are not helping my escape. Sooner than later, he’s in front of me blocking my way. “Please Katniss, listen.”

“Peeta, leave me alone,” I say harshly, moving to his left and trying to pass by him. He moves faster and blocks me again. “I swear to God, Peeta Mellark, if you don’t let me go I will…. I will punch you!” 

“Then punch me!” He says, grabbing my hand and forming a fist with my fingers to bring it to his body. I shiver with the contact as if I had touched a raw wire. “Anything would be better than letting you slip through my fingers again without an explanation and without a fight!”

“What is there to explain? I was there with you, or have you forgotten? I saw everything, I heard everything!”

“No, Katniss, you only listened to them. You believed them without questioning what they said. You didn’t let me explain, tell you the truth. You were so ready to think the worst about me, about us.. ”

“There was no us, Peeta! You were this popular boy who could charm anyone, and I was the surly girl from the wrong part of town. I should have seen that prom date was just a joke, a stupid boy bet. You’d have never been interested in someone like me.” 

“Don’t say that! It was never like that for me,” he insists as I snort, looking at him in disbelief. “You have no idea, the effect you had...” 

He stares at me with an intensity that pins me in my place and makes my legs weak, but I bite back, “What effect did I have, that I was weak and poor and all I was worth was ten dollars? Here,” I say looking inside my purse “here, you have. Now we’re even” I reach out to him and put a ten dollar bill in his hand. 

He looks at it, shock and pain written all over his handsome face. For the first time tonight, I feel some regret.

“And here I was thinking our relationship couldn’t get any worse, but you are going to listen to me for once,” He hisses and steps towards me. Now we’re close, very close, our feet nearly touching. “Some boys of the wrestling team knew I had asked you out, and they wanted to pay me back because I won against Cato in the wrestling match and I said no to Gloss’ sister when she asked me to go with her to the Prom. So, when they saw us, they made up that story about the bet and the ten dollars. I would have never agreed to something like that.” 

He is so close I can smell his cologne and underneath cinnamon and dill. It’s intoxicating in a way I haven’t experienced in a long, long time, maybe something I haven’t experienced in 6 years. 

“Why?” I gasp, it sounds like a plea instead of like a challenge, which was my intention.

“We were five. You had on a red plaid dress and your hair… it was in two braids instead of one. That day, in music assembly, the teacher asked who knew the Valley Song. Your hand shot right up in the air. She stood you up on a stool and had you sing it for us. And when your song ended, I knew I was a goner. Then, for the next thirteen years I tried to work up the nerve to ask you out, and when I had everything I ever wanted it vanished before it started.” He pauses for a moment, breathing heavily as if this confession is taking all his strength and resolve.

I can’t help but haltingly comment. “You have a...remarkable memory”

“I remember everything about you. You were the one who wasn’t paying attention, Katniss,” says Peeta, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. 

Sensing a change in the air and electricity surrounding us, he pushes his confession further. “So, I guess my name being drawn tonight was a real piece of luck, and the moment I decided I was getting all these feelings offf my chest tonight” 

I need him to shut up because what I am feeling is very confusing and doesn’t make sense in my head. It’s too much, the truth of his words --because I do remember that first day of school-- his scent surrounding me, the heat radiating from his body that makes me want to get closer to him, the alluring call of his lips that I can’t stop staring at… It’s a long shot, maybe the stupidest thing I’ve done in my life, but I close the gap between us and kiss him full on the mouth. 

He goes still for a moment and I move away. But before I can get any further, he encircles my waist with his arm and lifts me up close to his chest. I move my arms to his shoulders and back. 

He groans a guttural sound and devours my mouth. I can feel his whole body pressed against mine, no inch of separation between our clothes. 

“Katniss,” he moans again when I break the kiss and bite his lower lip. He walks us towards the alley beside Haymitch’s pub and presses my back to the red brick wall, grabbing below my ass to lift me more. I straddle him with my legs and dig my heels into his lower back, earning from him another moan “Katniss.”

I start working the buttons of his blue and soft cotton shirt, unbuttoning them, desperate to touch his skin. When I free the last one and put my palm over his bare chest, he pants heavily. He buries his face between my neck and shoulder, roughly sucking my pulse point. His hot breath radiates from that spot on my neck where his mouth is, down through my body and spine, out along my arms, legs, and toes and direct to my core.

“More, please,” I pant by his ear.

He trails his hand up and down my leg and I grow impatient. I arch my back to give him better access and he gets the hint. Slowly, he moves the hem of my panties aside and touches my bundle of nerves. I can’t help the shout that escapes my mouth, and he kisses me deeply to silence me, well aware we’re in a street, a dark alley, but a public place nevertheless… I couldn’t care less. I’m so far gone in my pleasure, something I’ve never ever felt before. 

“You’re so wet, Katniss,” he says breathlessly, dipping one finger inside of me, then two. “Tell me what you want, sweetheart.”

“I don’t know, I just need more, Peeta!” 

He complies, thrusting harder and faster until a wave of pleasure runs over my body and my walls clench around his fingers.

He keeps kissing me but now our kisses aren’t sloppy or rushed anymore. These kisses are different, soft and tender.

“That was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” he whispers, leaning his forehead into mine and nuzzling the tip of my nose with his. 

“Peeta, I…” he kisses me again, and I forget what I wanted to say, lost in the moment until I hear my phone ring.

I disentangle myself from him to get my phone out, but my legs are like jelly when I finally put my feet on the ground again. Thankfully, Peeta’s there to catch me, holding me by the waist and making sure I don’t fall from my high.

I pick up the phone and try to sound normal, “Hi.”

“Hey, are you ok? Where are you?” asks a concerned Madge.

“Yes, yes I’m ok, just went for a walk. Where are you?” I feel nervous as reality crashes hard on me.

“We’re here at the pub. Do you want us to go to your house?”

“No… I’m closer to Haymitch’s, just wait for me there. I’ll be with you in a couple of minutes.”

“You sound breathless, no need for you to run. Will wait for you.”

“Ok, see you shortly.”

When I hang up the phone, Peeta’s looking at me with fear in his eyes. “You have to go,” he states.

“Yes, I’m sorry. The girls were worried about me, and they’re waiting for me inside.” I look down because this has become suddenly very uncomfortable and I start moving from him when he intertwines his fingers with mine, not letting me go yet.

“Can I see you again?” He asks tentatively, disentangling our fingers and taking my chin with his hands so he can look me in the eyes. 

I bite my lower lip. I know he senses the negative response on the tip of my tongue. 

He gently caresses my cheek with his thumb. “Please...” 

I don’t know how long this goes on for, just the two of us looking at each other. Maybe it’s only seconds, maybe minutes. It’s difficult to know when I get so easily lost in his dark blue eyes. 

“Give me your phone,” I say and I write down my number. “There. Text me, ok?”

His face lights up immediately and he wears the broadest smile I’ve ever seen, so I smile back.

“I need to go now.” 

“Ok.” 

While we walk out of the alley, he doesn’t let go my hand, nor do I. 

When we get to the corner, he surprises me with a fast peck on my lips. “I’ll call you tomorrow” 

Before entering the pub again, I try to regain some serenity. I comb my hair and smooth my clothes, breathing deeply to steady my heart rate. I try to hide my smile, but that’s more difficult to do because I still have chills whenever I get a flash of his blue eyes or his mouth on my neck or his fingers inside me...

As soon as I step inside I see Jo and Madge waving at me and I cross the bar in their direction.

“You look unusually cheerful,” Jo says. 

“What are you still doing here? What about your dates?”

“We were worried about you. We saw Peeta left after you ran away,” Madge explains.

“So, Madge rescheduled her date, and I had a quick tryst...”

“So did I.” I say bluntly.

Madge eyes widen surprised and Johanna spits her beer. 

“What?” Both of them say in unison.

“No way!” continues Jo, but I nod to confirm my confession. “Wow! I’m proud of you, Katniss, you’re growing up. I would say it went great looking at your swollen lips, flushed cheeks and disheveled hair…”

I rapidly comb my hair, biting my lip to suppress a grin. 

“You were right, Jo, hate sex is mind blowing.” I wink, happy that for once the joke is on her.

“Oh, brainless,” she laughs out loud holding her ribs, “that wasn’t hate sex…” 

“How do you...” I ask, confused.

“You gave him your number, didn’t you?” She asks with a knowing grin. When I don’t contradict her, she laughs. “You’re in big trouble.”

Damn! She’s right… I’m totally screwed because I might be falling for Peeta Mellark.

**Author's Note:**

> This works as a one-shot, but I'm planning to write chapter 2 from Peeta POV
> 
> Please as always comment, like of give any indication that this story is read, because it makes so much difference to writers! 
> 
> Thanks to javistg because without you, this story would be unreadable! and thanks to sohypothetically for supporting as well with the ideas!


End file.
